Never Insult the Mistress
by Astonishment
Summary: This story begins at the end of Pride & Prejudice. What if Caroline Bingley was unable to accept Elizabeth Darcy as the Mistress of Pemberley? One-Shot


**Never Insult the Mistress**

**Summary:** This story begins at the end of Pride & Prejudice. What if Caroline Bingley was unable to accept Elizabeth Darcy as the Mistress of Pemberley?

**Disclaimer:** All characters belong to Jane Austen.

Several months after the marriage of Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy, Caroline Bingley was invited to visit Pemberley with her brother, Charles and his new wife, Jane. Upon their arrival at the grand estate, they were warmly greeted by Mr. and Mrs. Darcy and Miss Georgiana Darcy. Caroline was exceedingly pleased to be back at Pemberley and to see Mr. Darcy again, as she had not seen him since the dreadful wedding day. She, of course, put her best behavior forward, and tolerated the situation as best she could under the present circumstances.

After settling into her guest chamber and changing into her peach gown with the white trim, Caroline reacquainted herself with the estate she had once hoped to call her own. As she perused the rooms, she noticed that everything was exactly the same as it was when she last visited, with the exception of a vulgar new portrait of Eliza over the mantle in the sitting room.

_That country chit has no qualifications to be the mistress of such a grand estate, _thought she. _Mr. Darcy would have married me if not for her interference. All of my endeavors for two years… just to be crushed by a simpleton with no connections. Certainly, he has come to regret his error by now, _thought she.

After dinner, during the separation of the sexes, Caroline was compelled to offer her opinion to Elizabeth: "Miss Eliza, I see that you have not yet made your mark on Pemberley."

Georgiana was most eager to offer praises of her new sister: "Oh yes, Miss Bingley, my sister has made a most favorable impression on Pemberley and indeed in all of Derbyshire."

Caroline quickly dismissed her: "Yes, to be sure, but the furnishings and accessories of the house have yet to be updated; which I can well understand, Miss Eliza, given your former inferior circumstances. No one would blame your ignorance of such things, given your former social standing and lack of proper education. Never the less, I would be happy to assist you with updating the décor, since you obviously have no knowledge of such matters. If I were the mistress of Pemberley, I would have redecorated it with new pieces from Paris, Vienna and Amsterdam. Why, even our sister Jane has made her mark on Netherfield. She has added her own style, such as it is, with a few new furniture pieces and new drapes in the drawing room. There is even a lovely flower vase from Ireland," she reported, most favorably.

"Yes, Caroline, but none of those pieces were from the continent and the vase is a family heirloom from my Grandmother Bennet," Jane clarified.

"Yes, Jane, I remember how you kept that vase in your hope chest these many years since Grandmother's passing," Elizabeth added.

Caroline would not be swayed: "Yes, that is a charming story, to be sure, Miss Eliza, however, if I were the mistress of Pemberley…."

Elizabeth rose and interrupted her with polite distain: "Yes, Miss Bingley, we are all perfectly aware of your desire to be the mistress of Pemberley; however, the master of Pemberley did not marry you, did he?"

Caroline was undeterred: "Miss Eliza, there is no need to be rude to your guests for pointing out obvious flaws…"

"My name is Mrs. Darcy, not Miss Eliza! My name was never Miss Eliza and I never gave you leave to call me that! However, even now that I am married, you still insist on calling me Miss Eliza as a method of showing your scorn and disrespect. You shall henceforth refer to me as Mrs. Darcy!" Elizabeth told her, most forcefully.

She continued: "Furthermore, if I choose to redecorate Pemberley, it will be my own decision, with the assistance, of course, of Pemberley's most recent mistress, Miss Georgiana. I find her selections quite appealing and similar to my own taste, and have no immediate desire to change anything. If the décor at Pemberley does not meet with your approval; however, I would not wish to impose on you with future invitations."

Caroline was shocked beyond all reason. She rose and said: "Excuse me ladies, I am suddenly feeling quite ill and wish to retire for the evening. Kindly give my excuses to the gentlemen."

She left the sitting room in a huff and went to her chamber where she railed silently against Eliza. _How dare she? That little country nobody! She ruined my plan to become mistress of Pemberley and now she addresses me as if __I__ was the one with no proper upbringing, education or connections._ She called for a maid, who assisted her with her bedtime rituals and went to bed. She tossed and turned until she finally succumbed to a fitful sleep.

She awoke the next morning and noticed how scratchy the sheets felt and that the fire in the fireplace was allowed to go out. "_What else would I expect from Miss Eliza_," she sneered. She gazed around the chamber and noticed that none of her personal belongings were present. She rose and went to the wardrobe and found only her gold morning dress with the green lace trim. Someone had obviously failed to unpack her trunk properly. _I must to speak to Miss Eliza about the competency of her staff,_ she thought. She dressed quickly and opened the door of the chamber.

A maid was waiting for her in a hallway that she did not recognize. "Follow me, Miss," said the maid.

Caroline followed the maid to the kitchen, where Mrs. Reynolds was waiting for her. "Ah, there you are! I think tea is in order, Miss," said Mrs. Reynolds.

"Oh yes please, I desperately need a cup of tea!" Caroline exclaimed.

"No, Miss, I want you to fetch a cup of tea for me," Mrs. Reynolds corrected her.

"I most certainly will not! I am not a servant!" Caroline insisted.

"Everyone who stays in the servant's quarters must contribute to the daily operations of the estate and you have been assigned to the kitchen," Mrs. Reynolds notified her.

"Assigned to the kitchen! I have never been so insulted! I demand to see Mr. Darcy!" she shrieked. A moment later, Darcy walked in. "Oh thank goodness, Mr. Darcy, you have come to your senses and are here to rescue me. Miss Eliza has relegated me to the back of the house," she complained.

"I dare not interfere with the decisions made by the mistress of Pemberley. You would be wise to follow the same counsel, Miss," said Darcy.

"Certainly you cannot be serious! I was always meant to be the mistress of Pemberley, not that country chit! Is this how the guests of Pemberley are treated?" she angrily inquired.

"Not unless they insult the Mistress of the house." He turned and left.

Mrs. Reynolds addressed her: "If you will not fetch tea, then you must scrub the breakfast dishes."

"I do not scrub! There will be no scrubbing!" she stated boldly.

"Do you refuse to work in the kitchen?" Mrs. Reynolds inquired.

"I do!" she insisted.

Mrs. Reynolds rose: "Please follow me," as she led her outside to the stable. When she walked into the stable, she was greeting by the groomsman and an odor most foul. She picked up the hem of her dress, to spare it from the filth and noticed that she was now wearing her yellow dress with the pale yellow ribbon trim.

The groomsman approached her: "Ah, there you are," he said as he handed her a shovel. "Here you go, Miss."

"What am I to do with this?" Caroline demanded.

"Muck the stable, of course," he explained.

"I do not muck! There will be no mucking!" she stated impudently as she threw the shovel to the ground.

"Do you refuse to work in the stable?" the groomsman inquired.

"I most certainly do! I demand to see Mr. Darcy." A moment later, Darcy walked in. "Oh thank goodness Mr. Darcy, you must intervene on my behalf. Miss Eliza has treated me most cruelly," she complained most bitterly.

"I never interfere with the decisions made by the mistress of Pemberley," said Darcy.

"Is this how the guests of Pemberley are treated?" she inquired indignantly.

"Only those who insult the Mistress of the house," he replied and then left.

The groomsman approached her: "Please follow me," he said as he led her back into the house, through the servant's entrance, into the laundry room. She was greeted by a washer woman, wearing a white uniform and head scarf.

Just then, Charles ran in. "Oh thank goodness Charles, you have no idea of the indignities I have suffered here today at the hands of Miss Eliza," she complained.

"Caroline, will you be a dear and get this stain out of my shirt? I am afraid I made quite a mess of it! Good girl!" Then he ran out. Caroline watched him go in stunned speechlessness.

The washer woman approached her: "Ah, there you are," she said as she handed Caroline a basket full of laundry. "You can start on these, if you please," she instructed.

"I do not please!" she protested. As she threw the basket to the floor, she noticed that she was now wearing the same white uniform and head scarf as the washer woman. She ripped the scarf from her head and threw it to the floor, in a fury. "I have never been so offended in my life! I demand to see Mr. Darcy!" she screeched. A moment later, Darcy walked in. "Mr. Darcy, why will you not correct this dreadful situation?" she implored him.

"I never interfere with the decisions made by the mistress of Pemberley," said Darcy.

"Is this how the guests of Pemberley are treated?" she inquired furiously.

"Never insult the Mistress of Pemberley," he replied and then he left.

"You will wash the laundry," the washer woman instructed her.

"I do not launder! There will be no laundering!" she stated brazenly.

"Do you refuse to work in the laundry?" the washer woman inquired.

"I do!" she insisted.

"Please follow me," said the washer woman.

The woman led her down a darkened hallway and turned a corner. Something dark crossed Caroline's path and she shrieked in mortification. "Where am I? Where are we going?" There was no reply; she discovered she was alone in the hallway. As she continued forward, she stepped on something soft and a ferocious howl arose, from a cat.

She gasped in horror at the indignities she was being forced to endure. "What has Eliza done to me? This is not to be borne! I did not study at the finest finishing school in Paris to be treated in such a demeaning manner, as though I were a lowly servant."

"And when you studied at that finishing school, were you taught to disrespect, insult and otherwise offend your hostess?" a voice rang out from the darkness. "Did you consider the consequences of your words?" the voice questioned.

"Who said that?" She looked around the corner. "Who is there? Who are you to question my behavior? My behavior is always beyond reproach!" She continued down the darkened hallway and stopped abruptly as she heard a familiar voice.

"_Her manners are very bad indeed; a mixture of pride and impertinence; she has no conversation, no style, no beauty. She has nothing, in short, to recommend her, but being an excellent walker. I shall never forget her appearance – she looked almost wild. Her petticoat was six inches deep in mud. It seems to me to show an abdominal sort of conceited independence, a most country-town indifference to decorum. With such a father and mother and such low connections, I doubt she ever has a chance of being well settled. She even has an uncle in trade who lives in __Cheapside__." _(1) She gasped as she heard her own words repeated in her own voice.

"Who said that? Show yourself." She walked around another corner and saw herself in a mirror; however, it was not her current reflection, standing in the dimly lit hallway wearing a washer woman's uniform. She beheld herself speaking in the sitting room, wearing her peach gown with the white trim. "I can well understand, given your former inferior circumstances, Miss Eliza. No one would blame your ignorance of such things, given your former social standing and lack of proper education. Never the less, I would be happy to assist you with updating the décor, since you obviously have no knowledge of such matters." Once again, she heard her own words repeated in her own voice.

"I was merely offering assistance," she explained. "Miss Eliza does not have the benefit of the experience that I have running an estate such as Pemberley. I was properly educated on such matters and..." She was interrupted once more by the sound of her own voice and the likeness of herself in the mirror.

"_I must confess that I never could see any beauty in her. Her face is too thin; her complexion has no brilliancy; and her features are not at all handsome. Her nose wants character – there is nothing marked in its lines. Her teeth are tolerable, but not out of the common way; and as for her eyes, which have sometimes been called so fine, I could never see anything extraordinary in them. They have a sharp, shrewish look, which I do not like at all and in her air altogether there is a self-sufficiency without fashion, which is intolerable."_ (2) She was mortified by the sound of her own harsh words.

Then in the mirror she saw Darcy speaking: _"I have been meditating on the very great pleasure which a pair of fine eyes in the face of a pretty woman can bestow."_ (3) _"…it is many months since I have considered her as one of the handsomest women of my acquaintance."_ (4) She now recalled these comments from Darcy, even though, at the time, she had dismissed them_. "He never paid such compliments to me," _she realized.

The mirror then reflected Elizabeth's recent speech to her: "I never gave you leave to call me Eliza. You shall henceforth refer to me as Mrs. Darcy. The master of Pemberley did not marry you, did he? I would not wish to impose on you with future invitations!" The mirror shattered suddenly and the hallway went black.

Caroline awoke with a jolt in her guest chamber. The sheets were soft and she was wearing her favorite nightdress. The fireplace had glowing embers still warming the room. She gazed around the chamber and found nothing amiss. Everything was where she had left it the night before. She rose to open the wardrobe, observed all her cherished gowns, put her arms around them and embraced them like long lost friends. There was a soft knock on the door: "Enter," she responded.

A maid entered bearing a breakfast tray. "Good morning, Miss Bingley. Your breakfast is ready," she said cheerfully.

She breathed a sigh of relief, sat down at the table and waited for the maid to place the tray before her. On the tray were toast and jam, fresh fruit, coffee and a beautiful pink rose. "Oh this is lovely; you must thank Mrs. Reynolds for me," Caroline told the maid.

"Yes Miss, but this tray was prepared under the instructions of Mrs. Darcy," the maid informed her.

"Mrs. Darcy?" she asked.

"Yes Miss. She is very attentive to the needs of her guests. Mrs. Darcy saw to it herself."

"Yes, thank you." The maid curtsied and left her alone. "Yes, Mrs. Darcy is very attentive to her guests, even the ones who insult and offend her." As she ate her breakfast, she considered her current circumstances. She recalled the time she spent at Netherfield with Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth. _He could not take his eyes off her. Try as I might, I was not able to divert his attentions. It was obvious that he preferred her. Once he met her, he was lost to me. _Resigned to her circumstances, she was determined to make amends; as painlessly as possible.

She called for a maid, who assisted her with her morning rituals and went downstairs in search of Elizabeth, finding her in the dining room at breakfast with the remaining guests. She cheerfully greeted everyone and went to the sideboard. "Mrs. Darcy, what a lovely breakfast table you have set. I find your selection quite pleasing, do you not agree, Charles?" she asked amiably.

"Yes, quite pleasant," Charles agreed.

She poured a cup of coffee, sat at the table and addressed her hostess: "Mrs. Darcy, I must thank you for sending such a lovely tray to my chamber this morning. It was so thoughtful of you."

"You are most welcome, Miss Bingley. I am pleased that you enjoyed it," Elizabeth responded graciously.

"Oh yes, I especially enjoyed the rose, as you see I brought it with me so I may enjoy it all day." Everyone looked at her with great curiosity, unfamiliar with this version of Caroline. "Mrs. Darcy, please allow me to apologize for my outburst yesterday. As you know, I am fond of offering my advice and opinions but I realize now that I should have kept them to myself. Please forgive me. Pemberley is perfect, just as it is."

"Of course, Miss Bingley, your apology is accepted and the matter is forgotten," Elizabeth said politely.

There was an awkward silence in the room, as the occupants avoided each other's eyes. Elizabeth addressed Caroline: "I hope you are feeling well enough to delight us later with some music, Miss Bingley. Your accomplishments are unmatched in that regard," she said with a smile.

"Oh, yes, Miss Bingley, please do!" Georgiana pleaded in agreement.

Caroline was pleased with such attentions and flattery: "I would be delighted," she replied.

Later that day, Caroline noticed that Darcy's attentions to Elizabeth had increased since she last saw them; he doted on her every word and paid her every attention. She was as impertinent as ever; which he seemed to enjoy immensely. Georgiana had become more confident and poised, possibly due to the influence of her new sister. Elizabeth even seemed somehow more attractive than she remembered; her eyes did not seem so ordinary after all – possibly not as fine as others would describe, but certainly had no shrewish qualities as she had previously considered. It was clear to her that despite her wishes to the contrary, Mr. and Mrs. Darcy were quite comfortable with their present circumstances, which were unlikely to change. She resolved to return to London at her earliest opportunity to continue the search for a suitable match of her own.

_[Miss Bingley was very deeply mortified by Darcy's marriage; but as she thought it advisable to retain the right of visiting at Pemberley, she dropt all her resentment; was fonder than ever of Georgiana, almost as attentive to Darcy as heretofore, and paid off every arrear of civility to Elizabeth.]_ (5)

~The End~

(1) Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 8

(2) Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 45

(3) Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 6

(4) Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 45

(5) Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 61


End file.
